Much to be Thankful for, Even in Prison?

 Thanksgiving is always a good time to think, more than usual, about what we are thankful for. But it's not the only time of year we ought to think about or even express thanks. 

Over the last nearly 15 years that I have been incarcerated, I have had many reasons to be thankful. I know, it sounds strange to hear, I'm sure. But I think I can reflect back with thankfulness, despite my incarceration. 

As much as I hate being in prison, I am grateful for the interruption incarceration provided to my destructive behavior. I was stuck in a pattern of behavior that needed interruption. I needed that distance and break from my real life in order to work on the issues driving my bad behavior. I didn't anticipate having to spend this much time in prison, but whatever God's reasons are for not intervening before now, I'm sure they are for my good. 

I'm also grateful for the incredible favor I've experienced in prison. For nearly fifteen years, God has protected me from violence, even when violence was all around me. I've also had decent jobs in prison. Though prison wages are pitifully low, in each prison where I've been housed, I've had a top paying job. God has provided for me, more than I deserve. I've also enjoyed mostly positive relationships with prisoners and staff. 

I'm grateful for the incredible opportunity I had to earn a bachelors degree in prison, from a well respected Christian university. I applied because I wanted to earn a bachelors degree, but I didn't expect to find such a loving and caring community in the process. The six years I spent involved in the Calvin Prison Initiative (www.calvin.edu/prisoninitiative) community was something I never expected to find in prison. I made some truly lifelong friends, and I experienced far greater blessings than I could have imagined in prison. 

The prison where I am now housed is not exactly ideal. However, even here, I have many things to be grateful for. I'm grateful, again, to have a decent and well-paying job (compared to most prison jobs, that is). I'm also housed in a single man cell, which is a HUGE blessing! Additionally, there is little violence or theft at this facility. I've heard of other level one prisons having far more violence and theft.  

Finally, I'm thankful that the prison phone rates went down again this year. Now it costs about $1.17 per call, when just a few years ago it was over $3 per call. That makes a big difference when I earn barely three dollars a day. I'm also thankful for the organizations working hard to get the good time legislation on the ballot next November. To all those who are helping with this endeavor, thank you!

Let's keep a thankful spirit throughout the year, and it'll help us combat all the negativity trying to destroy our peace, whether inside prison or out.

Michigan Has the Eighth Highest Incarceration Rate in the World

 This year (2023) has seen probably more criminal justice reform bills introduced in Michigan than in any recent years. But they've nearly all died in committee. Legislators have been reluctant, for whatever their reasons, to advance any of these bills. Now, after our recent election, the Democrats, who were more likely than Republicans to pass these bills, have temporarily lost control of Michigan's House of Representatives. 

It's discouraging to have so much hope for the passage of some of these critical bills, only to see them die in committee. Nothing has really changed at all. 

In the summer 2022 edition of Fast Company magazine, Kristin Toussaint wrote about a bill passed in California that allows some prisoners to be resentenced after years of good behavior ("A Law that Rectifies Injustice," p. 68). It's a second chance bill, similar to Michigan's Second Look Act that never advanced out of committee (H.B. 4556 and S.B. 321). 

Toussaint shares incarceration rates from around the world, and not surprisingly, Michigan is very high on the list. In fact, the top eight locations listed are in the United States (Louisiana tops the list). Per capita, Michigan ranks as the eighth highest incarceration rate in the world. As of 2022, Michigan incarcerates 599 people out of every 100,000. That's more than three times the rate of China and more than 17 times higher than India! Even Cuba (510) and Russia (329) incarcerate fewer people per capita than Michigan. 

That's a very sad statistic that ought to deeply trouble Michigan lawmakers. But it's unpopular to let prisoners out early, even if Michigan's average prison sentence is longer than any other state in the nation. It's definitely not that Michigan has higher crime rates than other states and other countries. Michigan has simply made prison industry a foundation of its economy. 

Taxpayers ought to be angy that Michigan continues to incarcerate people for decades longer than necessary, when laws like the Second Look Act could allow for smart, evidence based decision making on reducing lengthy sentences. Why are we wasting precious tax dollars to keep prison jobs Michigan cannot even fill? 

It's time for Michigan citizens to step up and have the courage that the lawmakers don't have. Please be sure to sign the petition to bring the Good Time ballot initiative to Michigan voters. 
Go to:  www.gtballot2023.org  find out more.

When the Foundation of Truth Crumbles the Edifice of Justice Falls

 The last few weeks have highlighted the deep divides in America. We all knew America was deeply divided, but I'm guessing most didn't expect this level of division. We're not just divided over policies of economics and taxation, crime and punishment, or gender and sexual rights. Our divisions apparently go much, much deeper. 

Now, we have very large groups in American supporting Hamas and their recent horrific crimes. To be fair, many of these supporters deny that Hamas carried out the horrors they are accused of, despite the overwhelming evidence. But, ought we to be surprised? Some Americans have been creating their own faulty narratives for years. 

Some groups deny the truth of the holocaust, some the truth of slavery's horrors, and others the truth of election results, despite wide evidence in each case. And these are big examples. How many hundreds and thousands of "smaller" things are Americans denying, despite the evidence? Come to think of it, I'm not at all surprised so many in America support Hamas. 

Postmodern philosophy prides itself on rejecting objective truth. What's true for you is true for you and what's true for me is true for me. Well, look around you and see the results of that ridiculous philosophy. When we as a society reject objective truth, anarchy is the inevitable result. We ought not be surprised to see the chaos we're seeing in the world. 

Even courtrooms are affected by this widespread rejection of truth. Juries, and judges, to be fair, are persuaded now less by concrete facts and more by the persuasiveness of storytellers. Justice depends on truth, so until people are willing to deal in facts, no matter how ugly, justice cannot prevail. 

I'm terribly saddened by the horrors happening in Israel and Palestine. I'm deeply disturbed over the innocents, on both sides of the divide, who are suffering because of this millenniums long hatred between peoples. I don't know how this conflict should be resolved, but I do know one thing. It'll never be resolved without a commitment to deal only with the truth, on both sides. 

Truth is the foundation of justice. A simple glance at all the atrocities in America's past will reveal an origin for each: rejection of objective truth. If we want to begin turning hearts away from hatred and towards true justice, we must begin by embracing truth.

"It's not my fault!" -- How the State Reinforces Lack of Accountability

 The news networks recently covered a story of Attorneys General from several states filing a lawsuit against social media companies for providing children access to harmful content. Their claim is that the rise in mental health crises among children is at least partly the fault of these social media companies. 

I agree that children ought to be protected from harmful things, including online content that disturbs their mental health. But, I question the motives of these AGs. If they prevail, the social media companies will likely be liable for hundreds of millions of dollars that these harmed children will never see. Is it really the children the AGs care about?

Hear me out. Remember back in December of 2021? Ethan Crumbley, a juvenile, took a gun to school in Oxford, Michigan. He killed four students and a teacher, and wounded several others. He faced prosecution, as an adult, for his horrific actions. His parents, too, were prosecuted for manslaughter for their son's actions. In this case, the Michigan AG determined that Ethan and his parents were responsible for his actions. 

Alternatively, recent court cases and legislative actions have concluded that juveniles cannot face mandatory life in prison sentences because of their impressionability, immaturity, and lack of development. Both the courts and legislatures recognized that social forces often heavily influence young minds. In these cases, social forces are largely to blame for the juveniles' actions. 

Now, I believe largely motivated by money, these Attorneys General are going after big tech. They want to hold them responsible for children's behavior. Certainly, these companies ought to have safeguards in place to protect children from harmful content, but our society cannot even agree what exactly is harmful. Somehow, school libraries ought not to censor any material young minds might want to explore, no matter how "harmful" it could be. But, big tech companies ought to? It makes no sense. 

But the double standards don't stop there. Attorneys General are responsible for holding people accountable for illegal actions. It's their jobs. Yet, state prosecutors are given "prosecutorial immunity" for their actions, even when illegal. Other state "agents," including police officers, judges, and corrections officers and staff are also usually protected by immunity. 

So, as I understand it, if you have no money the state can get from you, it's off to prison you go. You're personally responsible for your behavior (sometimes). If you have lots of money, then even if parents ought to protect their children, and children are otherwise held accountable for their own behavior, it's now the rich companies' fault. And, if you work for the state, you can basically get away with whatever because you're protected by immunity. Got it. 

Can we just tear the blindfold off of Lady Liberty already? Can we ditch the scales of justice? Blind justice is a fallacy, and fairness and equality are a farce. With these terribly mixed messages about responsibility, it's no wonder so many people in America want to blame everyone else for their actions.